Enjoy World Waffle Day and make an umami recipe

Credits: Umami Committee

Chef from the Umami Committee teaches the step-by-step of a delicious savory umami waffle

São Paulo, March 2023 – Waffle is a traditionally sweet batter of Belgian origin commonly consumed in the Western world, mainly in the United States. It is usually made with ingredients such as sugar, flour, butter, eggs, and milk and pressed in a special mold, with a grid-like texture and shapes that can vary from round to square or even heart-shaped.

The dish is so beloved by people, for being very versatile and simple to make, that it earned its own date on the gastronomic calendar. On March 25, World Waffle Day is celebrated. Since its worldwide popularization, various ways of enjoying this delicious recipe have been created in different cultures.

In its country of origin, it is usually served hot and fresh. In England, waffles are generally eaten at breakfast with treacle. In the United States, they are commonly served with red fruit syrup, chocolate, and ice creams.

The Chef from the Umami Committee, Lisiane Miura, prepared a different and very tasty savory waffle recipe with umami ingredients such as Parmesan cheese to celebrate the date of this very appetizing dish. Umami is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, alongside sweet, salty, sour, and bitter, and it means “delicious” or “savory” in Japanese.

“Adding umami ingredients to meal preparations, besides making the dish tastier, also increases salivation and keeps that good aftertaste in the mouth after eating something very delicious,” says Lisiane. With a surprising recipe in mind to celebrate World Waffle Day, the Chef teaches below the version of a savory umami waffle.

SAVORY UMAMI WAFFLE
(Preparation time 30 minutes)
Serves: 4 portions (8 units)

Ingredients

• 1 cup of wheat flour (110 g)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder (4 g)
• 1 cup of milk (200 ml)
• 2 eggs (100 g)
• 4 tablespoons of butter, melted (60 g)
• 1 packet of grated Parmesan cheese (100 g)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped scallion (10 g)
• 2 cups of watercress leaves (20 g)
• 100 g of Parma-style ham slices

Preparation method

1. In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and mix. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, add the milk and eggs, and mix with a wire whisk (fouet) until homogeneous. Add to the flour mixture and stir with the whisk until uniform. Add the melted butter, the cheese, and the scallion, and mix.
3. In a waffle maker, greased and preheated for 1 minute, place about 3 tablespoons of batter and close the appliance. Leave for 5 minutes, or until the batter is golden on both sides. Remove and set aside. Repeat the process, greasing again whenever necessary, until all the batter is used. Set aside.
4. Serve hot or warm, accompanied by the watercress and the ham.

Tip: the amount of batter to be placed in the waffle maker may vary according to the model and brand of the equipment. This recipe was tested in a machine that makes 2 waffles at the same time and 3 tablespoons of raw batter were used for each unit.

UMAMI
It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in the year 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste on the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and the continuity of taste for a few minutes after food ingestion. To learn more, visit www.portalumami.com.br.